Has enough been done to make Route 3 safe?

The two-lane section of Route 3 near Stevensburg has been the site of a number of serious and deadly accidents over the years, including a two-car crash that took four lives near Clay Hill Road in March. 

After that collision, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) began an investigation to determine what could be done to make this deadly section of Route 3 safer.  Today, a number of safety improvements have been made to the road, including:

• Wider, paved shoulders
• Embedded reflective markers along the roadway
• A center rumble strip
• Flexible warning posts marking the edge of the road
• Extra-wide pavement markings
• Rumble strips across lanes where the road curve begins
• Stop bards at five roads that intersect in the curve area

All of the above changes were completed on schedule in mid-November, and were done to give drivers as many visual cues as possible to warn them that they are entering a curved part of the road.  The safety improvements are expected to cost around $291,000, and so far VDOT has paid $158,082.

According to officials, the ideal safety upgrade would be to turn this section of Route 3 into a four lane road instead of a two lane road.  However, that one change would cost $18 million, making it unfeasible at this time.

Will these improvements make Route 3 safer, and protect the lives of motorists?  It is definitely a step in the right direction.  However, the most important changes would be for individual drivers to pay attention and slow down.  Unfortunately, those changes aren’t up to VDOT – they’re up to you and me.